Condiment holder



Oct. 8, 1946. l G. D. FLEAK 2,409,118

CONDIMENT HOLDER Filed Sept. 24, 1943 Patented Oct. 8, 1946 UNH'EDSTATES PATENT OFFICE,

CONDIMENT HOLDER.

Glen D. Eleak, Beaumont 'Een Application September 24, 1943, Serial-No.503,617-

(CL, 65e-151).

The present invention relates to condiment holders which are adapted tobe used to dispense the contents of the holders. The invention isparticularly advantageous in connection with salt shakers because of thetendency of the salt to become wet and clog the outlet openings. It ishowever quite valuable in connection with all spices and similarcondiments particularly where it is necessary to maintain the containerclosed to protect the flavor of the material therein.

It is the principal purpose of my invention to provide a device of thecharacter described with means whereby the dispensing openings are keptsealed while the holder is upright and are kept open when the containeris inverted and shaken to discharge the contents thereof.

The present invention contemplates, as a means of accomplishing thedesired result, the provision, in connection with the dispensingopenings of a condiment holder, of closures in the form of tapered orconical plugs which are too large to go through the dispensing openingsand which are connected by resilient rods or wires extending inwardlythrough the openings to a common weight within the container. The rodsthemselves are of such rigidity as -to support the weight safely, anddesirably they converge from the openings to the weight so that theytend to prevent tipping of the weight in the container.

rIhe features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully asthe description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown. It is to beunderstood however that the drawing and description are illustrativeonly and are not to be taken as limiting the invention except insofar asit is limited by the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a sectional view taken through the condiment holder embodingmy invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view like Figure l but with the containerinverted so that the dispensing openings in the holder are open; and

Figure 3 is a plan view looking down on Figure l with the severalopenings closed.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, I have illustrated the inventionas applied to a container 5 which may be a salt shaker or othercondiment holder. The container as shown has a cap which completes theenclosure, and this cap is provided with a multiplicity of openings 1through which the contents of the container may be shaken when thecontainer is inverted in the manner shown in Figure 2. As shown, theportion 6 is the usual cap employed on salt shakers and the like butv itis of course entirely within the scope of .the presentv invention tohave the portion 6 integral with the portion 5 and to have the iillingopening for the container 5 at the other end. Such containers are commonon the market.

The present invention concerns itself with the provision of a pluralityof conical plugs 8 which are too large to pass through the openings 1but which extend into them from the exterior of the cap (i. These plugsmay be of any suitable material. Each plug has fixed therein one end ofa rod 9 which extends inwardly through the openings in the cap 5, andthe several rods 9 converge to a weight i0, conical in shape, in whichthe rods are xed. It is desirable that the rods 9 be resilient so thatthey may spring back and forth in the shaking of the condiment holder toaid in working the material to the openings l. Each rod has an oiisetportion Il which provides a stop to engage the inner surface of the cap5 and limit the outward movement of the plugs 8. It is believed to beevident that shaking of the container 5 with a vertical motion willresult in shifting all of the plugs up and down in the openings 'I sothat material within the container vcannot clog in the openings.

The present improvement is particularly adaptable to ordinary designs ofsalt shakers already on the market since the cap and the improvedclosure means hereinbefore described can be made to fit existing sali'lshakers so as to replace the caps now thereon. It is of course notlimited to salt shakers but may be applied to any condiment holder ofthe type wherein the contents are dispensed by shaking.

The particular advantageous features of the present device are theprovision of the conical plugs with the spring rods connecting them tothe weight, and the provision on the spring rods of the offset parts I Iwhich act not only to limit the outward movement of the plugs but alsoto agitato the contents of the container when it is shaken. The weightitself acts as a pulverizer in engaging the contents of the containerand the plugs clean the openings repeatedly as the container is shaken.Owing to the fact that all of the plugs are supported by converging rodsthat connect to the weight, the entire weight is available to releaseany plug that sticks in an opening.

From the foregoing description it iS beleVed that the nature andadvantages of the present 3 invention will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in this art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An article of the class described, comprising a container having aplurality of small spaced dispensing openings in a wall thereof, a,tapering plug extending into each opening from the exterior and movableinto said opening far enough to completely close it, and resilient rodssecured to said plugs and extending from the smaller ends thereof, theseveral rods converging as they extend into the container and beingconnected to each other at a distance from the plugs, the rods havingoffsets therein adjacent their connection to the plugs to provide stopslimiting the outward movement of the plugs to maintain the inner ends ofsaid plugs in said openings at the limit of their outward movement.

2. In a container for condiments and the like having a portion providedwith a plurality of small dispensing openings, means acting to closesaid openings when the portion faces upwardly and to aid in dispensingthe contents of the container when the portion faces downward, saidmeans comprising a weight spaced inwardly from said portion, said weightbeing spaced a substantial distance from the surrounding wall of thecontainer so as to be able to rock therein and to avoid wedging againstthe wall, a plurality of resilient rods attached to said Weight andextending through the openings, said rods diverging from each other asthey extend from the Weight toward the opening, and a tapering closureon the outer end of each rod for closing the corresponding opening, saidrods having stops thereon adjacent the small ends of said closures tolimit outward movement of the rods into the i openings and maintain thesmall ends of said closures in said openings at the limit of theiroutward movement.

GLEN D. FLEAK.

